Coffee, Cupcakes, and Cheesy Movies
by Sable Aegean
Summary: Another fluffy little Phan story, a continuation of "Free Donut Day." Dan and Phil are both super nervous about their first date, but it turns out they're both quite good at being awkward together.


"Phil, you need to calm down." Hazel was sat on Phil's bed watching with an entertained expression as the young man frantically pawed through his closet. Phil however, was not amused. He had a coffee date in less than an hour and he still didn't even know what he was gonna wear! He held up two button-down shirts and spun around to face Hazel.  
"Which one?"  
Hazel smirked and shrugged. Phil groaned in exasperation. "You're not helping!"  
"Yes I am, I'm telling you to calm down. It's not my fault you're not listening."  
Phil collapsed on the bed next to her and stared at the ceiling.  
"What if thinks I'm weird? And he says he's going to the bathroom and then he climbs out a window and-" Hazel hit with a pillow.  
"Phil, he already said he likes you, he wouldn't have agreed to this if he didn't so just breathe and pick a shirt already," Hazel said simply. Phil nodded, sighed, and picked the blue one up.  
"I bet Dan isn't half as nervous as me." He muttered.

-

Phil was right. Dan wasn't half as nervous as Phil, he was twice as nervous. Louise looked on from the couch as Dan bustled back and forth through their tiny apartment.  
"Shit shit shit shit shit" He muttered under his breath.  
"Lou, have you seen my keys-"  
"They're in your hand," Louise yelled from the other side of the apartment. In his room, Dan glanced at his hand holding the keys. He looked himself up and down in the mirror again. He'd gone with his "Training Outfit" which he wore not for the gym (he avoided the gym like the plague), but for playing Pokemon. In reality, it wasn't much different from his usual all-black ensemble, only he wore a t-shirt with a Pokeball on it. He thought it showed a playful, relaxed nature right off the bat. Louise thought it was because the jeans were a little skinnier than Dan's other skinny jeans.  
"Louise, do you think I should change?" What if Phil showed up in a suit jacket and Dan was just wearing regular street clothes? Louise came in and leaned against the door frame.  
"You're already running late, you'll be later if you change-"  
"Already?!" Dan jumped. "You were supposed to let me know, shit where are my sneakers, the zippy ones!?"  
"By the door, where they always are, Dan you need to calm down. It's okay if you're a few minutes late. He'll learn to never expect you on time." She quipped. Dan almost ran for the door and pulled his shoes on  
"Ha ha very funny." he groused, hopping on one foot trying to pull his shoe on.  
"Lock the door when you leave." he called over his shoulder.  
"Dan, wait," Lousie called. He turned back, impatient. "You look good." he smiled.  
"Thanks, Lou. See you later."  
"Tell me how it goes!" she called.  
"Of course!" The door slammed behind him.

Louise stood in front of the door smiling. Dan busted back in. "I forgot my-"  
"Phone." Louise handed it to him. Dan thanked her and finally disappeared out the door for good.

-

Phil shifted his weight from foot to foot anxiously as he stood in front of the cafe. Did he get the address wrong? Dan's probably just running late. But what if he had bailed and realized Phil wasn't worth it? What if he found something better to do? Phil checked his phone every five seconds and began to lose hope after some time. He was getting ready to give up and go home when heard an out of breath voice call his name. He spun around.  
"Phil-" Dan panted, "Almost-almost thought I'd missed you. Sorry, I'm late!" Phil instantly brightened.  
"Oh, it's fine!" He exclaimed. They stood there awkwardly for a moment or two. Phil shook his head as if pulled from a daydream. "So I guess we should go in?" He scratched the back of his neck. Phil opened the door for him and when Dan smiled at him, he could feel his face immediately redden. Dan offered to order for the two of them. They sat at a table near the window and sipped their coffee in silence for a while.  
"Oh my god this coffee is amazing. Like, I am actually in love with this coffee oh my gosh." Dan broke the silence as he praised the coffee. Phil smiled. He like the way Dan stressed the word "amazing" and the way he crossed his ankles under the table. "You can really taste the mint-at least in mine, yours doesn't have mint-but you can almost taste how the people who made it actually don't hate their job like I do- I try to do my job well though-" Dan stopped abruptly. "I'm talking your ear off, aren't I?" he glanced away.  
"Oh no," Phil rushed to make amends, "It's fine. And you're right, the coffee here is amazing. I know the girl behind the counter, Shawna. I was in college with her-" He launched into his arsenal of college stories without really intending to. He didn't really know when to stop. Dan's eyes never lost light, and he laughed in all the right spots. Phil sort of faded out, staring at Dan. His curly hair fell gently on his forehead, slightly tussled by the wind. He his left cheek dimpled when he smiled and Phil thought the boy was practically glowing. When Dan had spoken, it had an odd air to it, but in a good way. Somewhere between cool and refined and bubbly and excited. Phil liked it.  
"So?" Dan asked.  
"Huh?" Phil snapped out of his reverie, embarrassed.  
"So what happened next?" Dan explained, still interested in Phil's story.  
"Oh. Alex fell through the window. He was fine. But he fell through the window."  
Dan laughed and in that moment the world was golden.

-

Dan was surprised he hadn't royally screwed up yet. Phil was practically an angel. He spoke of all his friends fondly, and his mind often strayed from the topic, but Dan was okay with it. He liked the way Phil used his hands to explain, and how sometimes he couldn't finish a story because he was laughing so hard. His eyes were impossible to explain. If the eyes are windows to the soul, then Phil had a lot going on in there. The shades of green and blue seemed to reflect the flowing way he spoke, from one thought to the next with a connection only he understood. Dan also just liked the sound of his voice. It reminded him vaguely of going to the carnival or riding a Ferris wheel. It was exciting and bright. Phil's voice trailed off and Dan realized he'd been staring.

He fidgeted in his seat for a while, then cleared his throat.  
"Hey, there's a bakery over there," he said looking across the street out the window of the cafe, "Sign says there are free cupcake samples. Wanna head over there?" He asked. Phil grinned. "Sure, how could I just say no to free cupcakes?" The two left the cafe, and Dan was keenly aware of the space between them (or lack thereof) as the walked down the street.

-

They smelled the bakery before they walked in. It had a cozy feeling to it, and Phil was surprised he hadn't seen the place earlier. Dan picked up a small red velvet cupcake and chowed down. Phil snickered.  
"What?" Dan asked, attempting to sneakily grab another cupcake.  
"You've got frosting on your nose." Phil grinned. Dan turned away and wiped his nose, sputtering, "Dammit-S-sorry-"  
"No, it's fine. Actually it was kinda cute." Kinda cute? KINDA CUTE?! Did he just allow those words to come out of his mouth?! Phil was so surprised at himself that he didn't even try to fix it. Lucky for him, Dan smiled through a furious red blush. "Maybe I should do it again then," he muttered as if Phil didn't hear. Phil grabbed a cupcake of his own to move past the awkwardness. As he munched on his vanilla cupcake, it was apparently Dan's turn to laugh.  
"Do I have frosting on my nose now?" Phil asked, partially in jest.  
"No-it's just" Dan was still laughing, "You take such tiny bites, you're like a little bunny rabbit, #sokawai" Phil was smiling again too now, because Dan had actually said hashtag. Now that he thought about it, he remembered Dan saying "lol" or "tbh" a few times too. Phil thought the text speak was kinda cute too. They munched on cupcakes and laughed about god only knew what for a while. They wandered around town for a while, exploring tons of little coffee shops and stores. They fanboyed over the new Zelda game for a while, made fun of the knock-off brands in a tiny marketplace, and eventually happened upon a run-down looking cinema, a decrepit sign advertising a showing of "Manos: the Hands of Fate." It was open, despite appearances.  
"That just sounds like a terrible movie." Dan nudged Phil's elbow. Phil nodded. "Let's go see it," Said Dan, headed for the door. Phil's face burned. Movie theater dates were sitting next to each other in the dark, Phil thought he might melt.  
"I don't know-" he started.  
"Pleaaaasssee." Dan pleaded, looking at Phil with huge dark eyes. Phil's resolve melted immediately.  
"Yeah, okay." he complied. The two wandered into the theater.

-

Dan was right. The movie was TERRIBLE. But in a good way. They laughed at all the worst moments, from the bad camera angles, to atrocious acting, to the truly awful special effects. At that moment, the camera looked angled a few feet above the actors' head.  
"What am I even supposed to be looking at?" He laughed. He and Phil were the only patrons of the sad old theater, and Dan bantered to keep his mind off of how close Phil was to him. Dan was being loud, considering there was no one else there, but Phil spoke in quieter tones, leaning in so Dan could hear. Dan was quite thankful for the dark of the cinema because he must have looked like a tomato. As their laughter momentarily lulled, Phil leaned against him a little. Dan tried his luck and put his head on Phil's shoulder. Phil stiffened, then relaxed. Dan chuckled softly. Wow. This was amazing. This was golden. They were just sitting in a stupid old cinema, watching a stupid old movie, but it felt almost like magic. Dan couldn't explain it. But it felt right. As the movie ended, Dan didn't want leave, and he guessed Phil didn't want to leave either, because they sat for a moment after the movie ended, trying to make the time last as long as possible. Finally, Dan decided that they had to leave at some point, and sat up.  
"Guess we should go." he sighed.  
"Yeah, I guess." Phil conceded. They rose and left, but Dan shut his eye for a moment and lingered on their time together.

-

As they walked out of the cinema side by side, Dan's hand brushed against Phil's. Dan took Phil's hand and looked up at him as if asking for permission. Phil nodded and thought he was dreaming. The whole day had felt too good to be true. He voiced his thoughts.  
"This day has been too good to be real."  
A sly smile spread across Dan's face.  
"Maybe this'll make it seem real-" He stopped walking and pressed his lips to Phil's. Phil officially melted. He was done. He was dead. His soul ascended into the clouds. The moment Dan kissed him, Phil gave up any pretense of not being head over heels for Dan. When they finally broke apart, they were both grinning like total idiots. The sun was setting, and all was golden as they walked down the sidewalk, noticing nothing but each other.

In separate apartments across town, Hazel and Louise squealed over the details of their friends' date.  
"No way!" Shrieked Louise.  
"You guys are too cute!" Hazel gushed.  
The boys blushed and thought about the unspoken confirmation of a second date.


End file.
